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Grimm's TM - Supplement Chap. 3 Sup.
p. 52. ) Arna melainan exenegkate, Aristoph.
Ran. 847. Men sacrif. a ram, and sleep on its hide, Paus. iii. 34, 3. Goats
sacrif. to Juno: aigofagoj Hrh 15, 7. Nunc et in umbrosis
Fauno decet immolare lucis, seu poscet agno, sive malit haedo, Hor. Od. i. 4,
12; conf. bidental, Suppl. to p. 174. A boy of nine kills a black goat with
white legs and star, over the treasure, and sprinkles himself with the blood,
Sommer's Sag. p. 140; a goat with golden horns 150-1. 179. 'diu ôsterwîche gêt
über dehein geiz' says Helbl. 8, 299; does it mean that only lambs, not goats,
are eaten at Easter? A black sheep sacrif. to the devil, Firmenich 1, 206b;
a sheep to the dwarf of the Baumann's cave, Gödeke 2, 240. The Prussian goat-hallowing
is described by Simon Grunau in 1526, Nesselm. x. Lasicz 54; conf. Tettau and
Temme 261. A he-goat sacrif. with strange rites in Esthonia on St. Thomas's
day, Possart 172. p. 52. ) Dogs sacrif. in Greece, Paus. iii. 14, 9; in Umbria,
Auf. und K. 2, 379. To the nickelman a black cock is yearly thrown into the
Bode, Haupt 5, 378. Samogits sacrif. cocks to Kirnos, Lasicz 47. When Ests sacrif.
a cock, the blood spirts into the fire, the feathers, head, feet and entrails
are thrown into the same, the rest is boiled and eaten, Estn. ver. 2, 39. skumnouj
pammelanaj skulakwn trissouj iereusaj, Orph. Argon. 962. The bodies or
skins of victims hung on trees, p. 75-9. 650. in alta pinu votivi cornua cervi,
Ov. Met. 12, 266. incipiam captare feras et reddere pinu cornua, Prop. iii.
2, 19. p. 55. ) That the victim should be led round was essential to
every kind of lustration, Aufr. u. K.'s Umbr. spr. 2, 263. khrukej
d ana astu qewn ierhn ekatombhn hgon, Od. 20. 276. p. 55. ) Small sacrificial vessels, which participants brought
with them, are indic. in Hâk. goda saga c. 16, conf. 'ask ne eski,' ibid. An
altar with a large cauldron found in a grave-mound near Peccatel, Mecklenb.,
Lisch 11, 369. On the Cimbrian cauldron in Strabo, see Lisch 25, 218. Out of
the cavern near Velmede a brewing-cauldron was lent when asked for, Firmenich
1, 334b (so Mother Ludlam's cauldron, now in Frensham Church); old copper kettles
of the giants were preserved, Faye 9. p. 57. ) Former sacrifices are indicated by the banquets at assizes
and after riding the bounds. A victim's flesh was boiled, not roasted, though
roasting and boiling are spoken of at the feast of Bacchus, Troj. kr. 16201-99.
For distribution among the people the victim was cut up small: the ass, p. 49;
the gädda into eight pieces, Sv. folks. 1, 90. 94; Osiris into fourteen pieces,
Buns. 1, 508. Before Thor's image in the Guðbrands-dalr were laid every day
four loaves of bread and slâtr (killed meat), Fornm. sög. 4, 245-6; conf. Olafssaga,
ed. Christ. 26. Gruel and fish are offered to Percht on her day (p. 273); meat
and drink to Souls (p. 913n.); the milk of a cow set on the Brownies' stone
every Sunday, Hone's Yrbk. 1532. p. 57. ) Smoke-offerings were known to the heathen: incense and
bones offered to gods, Athen. 2, 73. thus et merum, Arnob. 7, 26. Irish tusga,
usga, AS. stôr, thus, stêran, thurificare, Haupt's Ztschr. 9, 513b. At each
altar they set 'eine risten flahses, ein wahs-kerzelîn und wîrouches korn,'
Diut. 1, 384. Also candles alone seem to have been offered: candles lighted
to the devil and river-sprites (p. 1010. 584). Men in distress vow to the saints
a taper the size of their body, then of their shin, lastly of their finger,
Wall. märch. p. 288; conf. 'Helena (in templo) sacravit calicem ex electro mammae
suae mensura,' Pliny 33. 4, 23. The shipwrecked vow a candle as big as the mast,
Hist. de la Bastille 4, 315; so in Schimpf u. Ernst c. 403; otherwise a navicula
cerea, or an argentea anchora, Pertz 6, 783-4; a 'wechsîn haus' against fire,
h. Ludwig 84, 19; or the building of a chapel. Silver ploughs and ships offered
(p. 59n. 264n.), D. Sag. 59. Pirates offer a tenth part of their booty, p. 231;
conf. entauqa tw naw trihrouj avakeitai calkoun embolon,
Paus. i. 40, 4. Stones are carried or thrown on to a grave (otherw. branches,
Klemm 3, 294): on Bremund's grave by pilgrims, Karlm. 138. To sacrifice by stone
throwing, Wolf, Ztschr. 2, 61; to lay a stone on the herma, Preller 1, 250;
a heap of stones lies round the herma, Babr. 48. O. Müller, Arch. §66, thinks
these ermaia were raised partly to clear the road.
Darius on his Scythian expedition has a cairn raised on the R. Atiscus, every
soldier bringing a stone, Herod. 4, 92. Each pilgrim contributes a stone towards
building the church, M. Koch, reise p. 422. J. Barrington, Personal Sketches
1, 17-8, tells of an Irish custom: By an ancient custom of everybody throwing
a stone on the spot where any celebrated murder had been committed, on a certain
day every year, it is wonderful what mounds were raised in numerous places,
which no person, but such as were familiar with the customs of the poor creatures,
would ever be able to account for. Strips of cloth are hung on the sacred tree,
F. Faber 2, 410. 420; the passer-by throws a twig or a rag on the stone, Dybeck
1845, p. 6. 4, 31; or nålar 4, 35; the common folk also put pennies in the stone,
3, 29, and throw bread, money and eggshells into springs 1844, 22. si het ir
opfergoldes noch wol tûsent marc, si teilt ez sîner seele, ir vil lieben man,
Nib. 1221, 2 (p. 913 n.). p. 57. ) Herdsmen offer bloody victims, husbandmen fruits of the
earth, D. Sag. 20. 21. ears left standing for Wôdan (p. 154 seq.); a bundle
of flax, Wolf's Ndrl. sag. p. 269; for the little woodwife flax-stems or a tiny
hut of stalks of flax, Schönw. 2, 360-9. sheaves of straw made for the gods,
Garg. 129b. The Greeks offered stalks and ears, Callim. 4, 283; hic placatus
erat, seu quis libaverat uvam, seu dederat sanctae spicea serta comae, Tib.
i. 10, 21; tender oak-leaves in default of barley, Od. 12, 357. The Indians
had grass-offerings, Kuhn rec. d. Rigv. p. 102, as the pixies received a bunch
of grass or needles. Firstfruits, qalusia, to Artemis,
Il. 9, 534. The flower-offering too is ancient, being one of the Indian five,
viz. reading the Vedas, sprinkling water, burning butter, strewing flowers and
sprays, hospitality, Holtzm. 3, 123. The Sanskr. sêsa = reliquiae, flores qui
deo vel idolo oblati sunt, deinde alicui traduntur; conf. the flower-offering
of Sarasvati, Somad. 1, 120-1, and 'Hallows an offering to the clouds, Of kutaja
the fairest blossoms,' Meghadûta 4. For Greece, see Theocr. epigr. 1. The offering
to 'Venus' is bluomen und vingerlîn, Ksrchr. 3746. In Germany they danced round
the first violet, p. 762. The people call a stone in the forest, three miles
from Marburg, 'opfer-stein,' and still lay flowers and corn upon it. A rock
is crowned with flowers on Mayday, Pröhle's Unterharz no. 347. 263. The country
folk on the Lippe, like those about the Meisner, go into the Hollow Stone on
Easter-day, Firm. 1, 334; they think of Veleda, as the Hessians do of Holda.
The same day the villagers of Waake, Landolfshausen and Mackenrode troop to
the Schweckhäuser hills, where an idol formerly stood, Harrys i. no. 4. p. 59 n. ) Leibon d aqanatoisi qeoij,
Od. 2, 432. oinon ekceon, hd euconto qeoij, Il. 3,
296. Before drinking, they poured some on the ground to the gods 7, 480; whereas
the Scythians spilt no wine (Lucian Toxar. 45), and the German heroes drank
minne without spilling any, D. Sag. 236-7. poculis aureis memoriae defunctorum
commilitonum vino mero libant, Apul. Met. 4 p.m. 131. p. 61. ) St. John's and St. Gertrude's minne: later examples in
Gödeke's Weim. Jb. 6, 28-9, and Scheller 2, 593. postea dominis amor S. Johannis
ministretur, MB. 35a, 138. potum caritatis propinare, Lacomblet 487 (yr. 1183).
dar truoc man im sand Johanns minne, Ottoc. 838b. Johannes liebe, J. minne trinken,
Weisth. 1, 562-4. trag uns her sant Johans min, Keller erz. 32. si trinkent
alsamt sant Hans min 34. In Belgium they said: 'Sinct Jans gelei ende Sinct
Gertrous minne sy met u!' Men pray to St. Gertrude for good lodging, Eschenb.
denkm. p. 240. In Wolkenstein 114, minne sanct Johans means the parting kiss.
A wife says at parting: setz sant Johans ze bürgen (surety) mir, daz wir froelich
und schier (soon) zuo einander komen, Ls. 3, 313; conf. drinking the scheidel-kanne,
Lüntzel Hildsh. stiftsfehde 80. In ON. 'bad þâ drecka velfarar minni sitt,'
Egilss. p. 213. People give each other John's blessing at Christmas, Weisth.
1, 241-3. The two Johns are confounded, not only by Liutpr. (Pertz 3, 363),
but in the Lay of Heriger: Johannes baptista pincerna (cupbearer), Lat. ged.
des MA. p. 336. p. 63. ) On the shapes given to pastry, see p. 501 n. The forms
or names of ôster-flade (-pancake), pfadelat (patellata), ôster-stuopha (-scone),
p. 781, furiwiz (Graff 1, 1104), are worth studying. Günther 647: 'before this
sacred fire thy image now is brought,' reminds one of Voetius's straw figure
set before the hearth. The Carrying-about of divine images was known to the ancients:
Syriam deam per vicos agrosque circumferre, Lucian de dea Syria 49. Lucius cap.
36. circumgestare deam, Apul. p.m. 194-6. The Northmen of Guðbrands-dalr carry
Thor's image out of his house into the Thing, set it up, and bow to it, St.
Olaf's s., ed. Christ. 23-6. The men of Delbruck carried about a false godHilgerio
on a long pole, Weisth. 3, 101 n. May Ulrich of Lichtenstein's progress as Dame
Venus be explained as a custom dating from the time of heathen progressions?
That also was 'at Pentecost,' from April 25 to May 26, 1227; Whitsunday fell
on May 30. Here ought to be mentioned the sacred festivals, whose names and
dates are discussed in D. Sag. 71-2. 'Festa ea Germanis nox (it was sideribus
inlustris, i.e. illunis, new-moon), et solemnibus epulis ludicra,' Tac. Ann.
1, 50; conf. Germ. 24, where the sword-dance is called ludicrum. Beside feasting
and games, it was a part of the festival to bathe the goddesses, p. 255. << Previous Page Next Page >>
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